Approaching Standardization: Mechanical Material Testing of Macroscopic Two-Photon Polymerized Specimens.

Area of Science:

• Additive Manufacturing
• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Two-photon polymerization (2PP) is a high-resolution microfabrication technique.
• Current limitations in throughput restrict 2PP applications to microparts.
• Characterization of 2PP materials relies on specialized microtesting methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the up-scalability of photopolymers for macro-sized part fabrication using 2PP.
• To enable standardized mechanical testing of 2PP processed materials.
• To explore the potential for broader industrial applications of 2PP technology.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a high-throughput 2PP system with low numerical aperture optics.
• Printed centimeter-sized testing specimens from three different photopolymers.
• Characterized mechanical, thermo-mechanical, and fracture properties using standard testing methods.

Main Results:

• Successfully produced and tested macro-sized specimens (cm-range) using 2PP.
• Demonstrated the feasibility of applying common material testing methods to 2PP materials.
• Investigated postprocessing and aging effects on printed parts.

Conclusions:

• Recent advances in 2PP technology permit the fabrication of larger parts.
• Up-scaled 2PP materials can be characterized using standardized methods.
• This research supports the expansion of 2PP into wider industrial applications.